Huge blow for Surrey as Ollie Pope dislocates shoulder

Surrey's Ollie Pope injured in Royal London One-Day Cup at Oval

Ollie Pope faces missing a huge chunk of the season in a massive blow to Surrey’s bid for glory this season.

The 21-year-old batsman suffered a dislocated left shoulder as he dived to stop a boundary during last week’s Royal London One-Day Cup clash against Essex at the Kia Oval.

So severely did Pope injure himself that specialists advised surgery would be the best course of action to ensure a full recovery and, so far, Surrey have only committed themselves to saying that “it is hoped he will return first team cricket towards the back end of the current season”.

In his first full summer, the right-hander scored 965 runs at 74 as a vital member of the side which won the Specsavers County Championship – and played two Tests for England.

Pope’s was one of three injuries suffered in the same match, the only win in his county’s first six games of what has turned into a disastrous run in the 50-over competition this year, that victory gained at exorbitant cost.

England one-day opener Jason Roy had to retire hurt early in his innings with a back spasm, returning later but clearly in pain and now due to miss international matches against Ireland and Pakistan this week, while key all-rounder Rikki Clarke suffered an open dislocation to the little finger on his right hand and also underwent surgery. He is optimistic of returning soon.

Surrey had already been beaten by Gloucestershire and Sussex when they took on Essex.

But hopes of a late run into the knockout stages were effectively ended by Middlesex inflicting defeat by 37 runs, recovering from 185-8 to reach 277. Foakes’s 71 gained little support as his side were bowled out for 240.

And on Sunday in Cardiff, Glamorgan were also allowed off the hook when Billy Root (113no) lifted them from 160-6 to 323-7, Surrey sliding to 28-4 and only narrowing the margin of their loss to 46 runs through the late work of Jordan Clark (79) and Stuart Meaker (50).

When holders and group leaders Hampshire arrived at The Oval on Tuesday, it was Surrey’s 1000th List A match but they were unable to celebrate in style despite the presence around 6,000 youngsters attending the annual Schools Day. South African opener Aiden Markram (88) and Liam Dawson’s 108 from 93 balls guided the south coast county to 307 all out against a makeshift attack.

Mark Stoneman’s 70 spearheaded a chase which fell short by 53 runs.

Injuries and international calls reached double-figures when wicketkeeper Foakes was called up for the Ireland and Pakistan matches and now Surrey’s priority in the final two RLODC outings will be to get in some sort of shape for their return to Championship action against high-flying Somerset at Taunton on May 14.

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